A lack of local body candidates could have a negative impact on an already decreasing voter turnout, warns one political commentator.
Candidate nominations for October’s local body elections closed on Friday, revealing some electorates will go uncontested, with only one candidateentered.
A last-minute uptick meant all councils would hold an election for at least some of their seats, after fears just 48 hours out that many would not hold one at all or trigger a byelection, because of a lack of candidates.
Dr Grant Duncan said factors such as low pay and an increasing level of abuse aimed at elected officials – particularly women – might have discouraged potential candidates.
“What is the payoff? Because you’re potentially going to be subject to abuse and quite a lot of pressure.”
Duncan said it could also be influenced by a lack of public interest in local affairs, driven by a decline in local media.
“We don’t get those little, local suburban newspapers in our letterboxes anymore perhaps and so I think people are just following local affairs less carefully. That has a flow-on affect on people’s interest in being candidates or to turn out to vote.”
A lack of candidates also meant voters were generally less engaged.
“We’re in a vicious cycle of a lack of local news, a lack of voter participation ... and also a decline in candidates willing to put their names forward, and if we don’t have all of those things working together, we have an inexorable decline in local democracy,” Duncan said.
“Increasingly, what will happen is that central government will just say, ‘Well, we’ll take control’.”
Hutt South MP Chris Bishop posted on Facebook about the lack of contested local body seats. Photo / RNZ, Mark Papalii
According to The Spinoff, in 2022, 20% of the 583 elections were uncontested.
National minister and local MP for Hutt South Chris Bishop posted on Facebook following the close of nominations.
“Five councillors have been elected unopposed already in the Lower Hutt local elections. Nobody is standing against them and the law doesn’t provide for a ‘no confidence’ option, so they’re automatically elected.
“On top of this, all of the Eastbourne Community Board have been elected unopposed (five slots, five people). I have to say, I find this fairly remarkable and depressing.”
A shortage of candidates was not the case across the board.
In Hamilton, former Labour MPs Sue Moroney and Jamie Strange will run among a field of 26 candidates in the Hamilton East ward alone, including former National MP Tim Macindoe, who was also standing for mayor.
In total, 51 candidates are vying for a place on the council, including 12 for mayor.
